The Regional Rail Action NSW, which consists of Border Rail Action Group based in the Riverina and Murray River, will pursue three ‘priority actions’ leading up to the state election in March 2019.

The priorities are regional manufacture and maintenance of fleet, rail-track upgrades for faster rail and ‘fairer’ fair structure.

Dennis Toohey, executive member of BRAG, said RRANSW will urge the government to consider the three priorities above that relate to the southern, main western and Canberra lines.

“In terms of the Riverina, we’re going to have a meet and greet with the various candidates for the upcoming election,” Mr Toohey said.

“We’ll introduce ourselves to Dr Joe McGirr to inform him of our broad thinking with respect to the Murray-Riverina region.”

The group aims to put submissions to Dr McGirr and Albury MP Greg Aplin before Christmas “so that action can begin in the new year”.

Currently, NSW TrainLink is trialling same-day coach services between Wagga and Albury-Wodonga that operate seven days a week via Uranquinty, The Rock, Yerong Creek, Henty, Culcairn, Gerogery and Lavington.

Since it began in July this year, the service from Wagga to Albury-Wodonga and the reverse journey have averaged 56 and 40 customers, respectively, per week.

The trial services are operated by modern and accessible coaches with 41 seats, spaces for two wheelchairs and equipped with on board toilet.

Mr Toohey said he and BRAG supported the coach service but improvements could be made.

“At the moment, they’re focused on bringing people from surrounding towns to and from major centres or from city to city, like Wagga and Albury,” Mr Toohey said.

“But what we want to see are connections between these smaller towns – like Junee to Griffith and not just the major centres.”

A NSW TrainLink spokesperson said: “We are reviewing community and customer feedback to see if improvements can be made to services so they appeal to as many people as possible”.

“We encourage the community to continue to get on board to help make these coach trials a success,” the spokesperson said.

In August this year, Wagga City Council announced it will develop a feasibility study about a proposed passenger rail service.

Vanessa Keenan, Wagga City Councillor and advocate of better regional transport, said she had been liaising with BRAG and Regional Rail Action for more than a year in lobbying for improved regional rail.

“Any improvements from the government to the inferior services is welcomed,” Cr Keenan said.

“It’s 2018, we’re the largest inland city in NSW and one of the fastest growing, yet we have two rail services a day that are at such inconvenient times for many that they are completely underused.”

Asked if she thought other priorities were needed to be added to RRANSW’s, said “we need to develop rail services that actually service regional communities”.

“Trains that leave at 3am and buses that take over two hours to get to Albury just don’t cut it,” she said.

The campaign by RRANSW was prompted from the state government’s plans to introduce new regional rail fleet beginning in the early 2020s.

“The arrival of these new train sets and the upcoming March election were the principal agenda topics of RRANSW at a meeting in Goulburn on November 1,” Mr Toohey said.

Around February 2019, the state government is set to announce the successful tenderer for producing trains to replace the aged regional passenger rail fleet.

Regional Rail Action NSW: future regional rail services

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